The best books to start your journey to financial freedom

When I started my financial freedom journey, I discovered the Clever Girl Finance platform and gained great value from their blog posts and resources. When their book was released, I immediately picked it up because I needed guidance and encouragement in my journey to pay off over $200,000 of debt. This book provides actionable tips on how to create a debt freedom plan and, importantly, how to stick to the plan. I appreciated its balanced approach, which emphasized rewarding yourself (even in small ways) during the journey and managing your debt-free goals alongside your other financial goals. 

There’s a reason that this book is a New York Times Bestseller. I have recommended this book to family and friends for its practical, no-nonsense approach to personal finance. My favorite thing about this book is the author’s emphasis on automation. The author teaches that automating your financial goals, including saving and investing goals, is key to actually accomplishing those goals. The author’s humor and experience as the child of immigrants adds to this book’s authentic insight. 

Want to start investing but have no idea where to start? Get this book. I first read this book when I was about a year into my investing journey. I had started investing in my retirement through my company’s 401K plan but was stuck. I didn’t understand much of the investing lingo, lacked the confidence to buy and sell investments, and was unsure whether my strategy of balancing my student loan repayment with my investing goals was wise. Erin, Broke Millennial, provided exactly what I was looking for! Learning from a fellow millennial woman provided a fresh perspective on investing while making the topic interesting and approachable.  

This book helps readers become financially “whole” by providing practical guidance, dos and don’ts, and action items. One of my favorite parts about the book was the author’s discussion on insurance. Before reading this book, I found much of the conversation around the various insurances to be overwhelming, muddled, and quite “salesy.” In this book, the author breaks down the importance of determining your insurance needs, selecting the right policies for you, and understanding specifics about health, life, disability, and property insurance. I also enjoyed the author’s discussion on selecting financial professionals, including practical advice on choosing accountants, financial advisors, and estate planning attorneys. 

Another book by Broke Millennial! When starting your journey to financial freedom, it’s necessary to learn the practical advice on the topics you may not have learned in school—budgeting, saving, investing, etc. But something else we’re not taught is how to talk about money. This book dives into everything from how to talk to your parents about how their retirement will be funded, how to talk to coworkers about salaries, how to talk about money with your partner, to how to set boundaries with friends. I have referenced this book on several occasions and strongly believe it’s a must-have for your bookshelf.